``That's probably one of the best serving matches I've ever played and everything felt pretty good,'' the American said. ``It's my first match of the year, everything felt pretty good and I'm just looking forward to playing tomorrow.''

Second-seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, who counts the 2008 Auckland tournament among his four career titles, had to work harder for his 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 win over Colombia's Alejandro Falla.

Seventh-seeded Tommy Haas beat Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4 in just over an hour to reach a quarterfinals matchup with Gael Monfils of France, who beat Australian qualifier Greg Jones, 6-4, 6-2 in 66 minutes.

Monfils made an impressive statement of fitness and form as he claimed his place in the final eight. The Frenchman's ranking slumped from 13th in February 2012 to 99th in January as he battled injuries and other setbacks last year.

Copyright � 2015 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.